Marubeni Corporation Resolves US FCPA Enforcement Action for $54.6 Million

Marubeni Corporation Japan JGC Corporation

On January 17, 2012, the U.S. Department of Justice announced an FCPA enforcement action against Japanese trading company, Marubeni Corporation.  The action calls for Marubeni to pay $54.6 million and engage a compliance consultant for a two-year period, in compliance with the deferred prosecution agreement between the company and the DOJ. As described in the DOJ Press Release, Marubeni acted as an agent for a joint venture among four companies bidding to construct a liquefied natural gas plant in Nigeria.  Each participant in the joint venture has settled their own FCPA enforcement action, including the Japanese construction company JGC Corporation, which settled in April 2011 for $218 million.